The Good ... Amazing Grace
Flying wingers Liam Marshall and Regan Grace put on a show at the DW on Good Friday. On debut, Grace showed he has a big future with some eye-catching runs and an outstanding finish to grave a try. Already a Wales international, the 20-year old was the highlight for St Helens on a tough afternoon.
For Wigan young flyer Liam Marshall continues to impress. Marshall debuted against Leigh earlier this year with Dom Manfredi out with injury. The winger has not looked out of place, already bagging eight tries in just seven games. The Warriors production line keeps churning out gems.
The talk of the Wigan-St Helens derby was the red card dished out to Kyle Amor for his head-high hit on Marshall. The sending off effectively ended Saints’ chances of winning the game, as they had 12 men for most of the match. Most of the defence of Amor centred around the lack of intent and the fact that the initial contact was on the ball and then slipped up. But it was still dangerous and the referee was well within his rights to make a tough call.
Elsewhere it was another win each for Salford and Castleford, who stay at the top of the table. The Tigers’ derby victory over Wakefield was their fourth in a row and eighth of the season, as they go from strength to strength, while Salford grinded out a close win against Leigh. It was the Red Devils’ fifth victory in a row and their seventh of 2017. Heady days for both clubs.
The Bad
Plenty of contenders here, including Hull FC’s soft defence. In two games the Black and Whites have leaked 52 and 54 points. Considering Hull FC have built their reputation based on an unrelenting defence in the past 15 months, it’s a huge slide from their normal standards. Defence is a team effort, based on attitude, commitment and communication, and Lee Radford’s men are not producing.
Like Hull FC, Leigh have gone off the boil and are in the middle of a four-game losing streak. The Centurions have lost to Salford, Catalans, Widnes and Wakefield, and now find themselves in ninth position. Super League was never going to be a simple transition for the promoted club, and with a wounded Hull FC up next it isn’t getting any easier.
Huddersfield and Widnes continue to struggle after recording their sixth and seventh losses respectively. Most tipped the Giants and Vikings to be in the bottom four come Super 8s time and nothing they have shown so far has dispelled that view. The question is, now with Keiron Cunningham sacked, will Rick Stone and Denis Betts survive the season? Pressure is mounting on both.
The Ugly
Chris Houston had a running battle with Phil Bentham all night on Thursday. Widnes went down to Warrington and Houston gave away a number of penalties individually. But things went from bad to worse when the forward barged over the referee in the second half. Houston has been hit with a Grade D charge from the incident and faces five weeks on the sidelines. Not a good look for the Australian or his club, who are in dire straits.
